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UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFI E.

SARAH A. OUNINGHAM, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

ABDOMINAL CORSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 225,211, dated March 9, 1880.

' Application filed January 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SARAH A. OUNINGHAM, of New York, county of New York, State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inAbdominal Supporters, which is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front and side view of my improved supporter; Fig. 2, a back view of the same; Fig. 3, the improvement applied to a short corset.

A represents the corset; ,B, the side opening; 0 c c, the lifting-laeings; d d d, the eyelets; E, the securing-hook.

This is an improvement upon the invention secured to me, asSarah A. Moody, under LettersPatent of the United States No. 42,591, dated May 3, 1864; and its main object is to place it Within the power of the wearer to control the pressure upon and support to the abdomen at will, according to the necessity found therefor from day to day, as the garment is worn and conforms by degrees to the figure it is designed to benefit and relieve, the air-padsspoken of in that patent, and which were found expensive and inconvenient, being done away with and the necessity thereof obviated by this new construction.

The novel leading advantages of my present invention are three in number: First, supporting the abdomen by throwing its weight very considerably upon the back; second, lacing the corset so as to bring it forcibly to the form of the person at all times, whether it enlarges or recedes; third, enabling the wearer to. tighten it at will when on the person,

whether sitting or moving.

These important ends are attained as follows: Referring to Fig. l in the drawings, it

will be seen that the lacings extend to the front steel, and then run in and out through eyelets d d d in the front and side of the corset on an upward and outward curve, and cross each other near the middle of the back 5 just above the hips, the laces being long is removed to the back, and the cutting is thereby prevented.

By tightening or loosening the lacings at pleasure the lower portion of the corset, forming a line around the pubis bone, is held in its place under the abdomen, and the corset at all times adjusted to the form, and in no case can the corset slip up so as to fail to support the abdomen. These lacings 0 c 0 may be put from the waist to the bottom of the corset at any desired distance apart, and as numerous as may be required, and either one or all may be tightened or loosened to make the corset fit any form, or to make the same corset fit as the form of the abdomen changes from day to day. These improvements may be made by cutting a piece of cloth straight, or on any curve desired, by attaching strings or belts of any kind, elastic or otherwise, either to be tied, hooked, buckled, or buttoned in front or at the back. These lacings, if put upon short or long-short corsets, so called,

and make the same smooth and even on the outside. required to pass through the corset in and out, but could be carried along the outside of the corset without any eyelets or rests whatsoever.

A great difficulty attending the use of abdominal corsets as heretofore constructed was that, however well fitted, after a few days wear there was a tendency in the body to recede and the side lacings would close and leave the corset too loose to constitute any support. This is obviated in my improvedcorset, for the side lacings may be dispensed with altogether and the lifting-lacings not passed through the corset at all, but kept on the outside, as in a short corset.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A corset or abdominal supporter provided with laeings running from the front steels or points near thereto, in lines of rising curvature, to the back, constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

MRS. SARAH A. GUNINGHAM.

Witnesses:

EUGENE N. 131101, JOHN W. RIPLEY.

In short corsets the lacings would not be 

